Regardless of their size, many small businesses still need to meet strict compliance regulations, such as PCI and HIPAA. In addition to any special requirements, there are a few security technologies every small business should have in place. Here are my four security must-haves.
1. Firewall.
It sounds passé, but firewalls are still the de facto solution for minimum security. Small businesses are no exception. We frequently see vendors attempting to coax small business owners into boxes bigger than they need, with full redundancy and licensing out the yin yang. As expected, most small business owners will balk at the $20K-plus price tags that hang off these shiny new boxes. The truth is, for bandwidths typical in smaller organizations (let’s say T1s up to 10Mbps), a small ASIC-based firewall even with gateway services (such as gateway anti-virus, anti-spyware, IDS or IPS) can be found for just a few thousand dollars. Even if it’s not tweaked to perfection, some firewall is better than none. And no organization should rely on their Internet provider for this security.
2. Client anti-virus.
Whether your small office is three people or a hundred, client AV is a must-have. Depending on the number of users, an organization may opt for boxed consumer licenses and manual management, or a centrally-managed AV solution. All mainstream AV vendors will have both options available, but the licenses may not be upgradeable or transferable. Meaning, if you buy AV in boxes at Walmart or Best Buy, you probably can’t turn those into centrally managed client licenses if your needs grow or change. Take the time to do a little research and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the affordable licensing structure of centrally managed AV. The right Security-as-a-Service solution can perform reliably and effectively and deliver the flexibility and control associated with on-premise solutions — at a significantly lower cost — without compromising privacy and security. Whether as the sole deployment platform or part of a hybrid on-premise/ SaaS solution, SaaS helps provide a greater return on an organization’s security investment through coverage that scales to meet an organization’s needs and by reducing costs associated with maintaining on-premise solutions.
3. Password management tool.
These are great little tools and I’ve found they’re an easy and inexpensive solution for small offices that aren’t using single sign-on or authenticating to a directory (such as Active Directory) for management. These tools allow a team or entire company to post, update, and share key passwords used in the organization. They can contain login info for bank accounts, the server admin account, email management or CLI logon for switches. They reduce the use of default passwords and re-use of shared passwords while making it easier to incorporate complexity into all credentials.
4. Backups.
We can’t overemphasize the importance of a good backup and disaster recovery plan. You don’t have to have a fully-executed DR methodology, but if your small business currently has no backups, start here as your next step in securing your business. You never know when there will be a fire, a flood, or a disgruntled employee who decides to wreak havoc before leaving. Even if you’re not taking backups of all the computers, identify your key data — such as accounting records, customer data, and anything critical to operating your business such as emails, website content, intellectual property and marketing materials or graphics — and back it up. Look for software-based backups that can take regular snapshots of servers or storage, or consider a hosted online backup solution.
The first step is to keep backups locally. The next progression is to also find a remote site or hosted solution in case your location experiences a disaster or even theft.
Four IT Security Technologies Every Small Business Have In PlaceMay 5th, 2010 by bizcareadmin10 tips for outsourced IT Services in 2010April 10th, 2010 by bizcareadminWhen the economy turns down, corporate IT budgets are usually one of the first casualties. This is the case with the current recession, as evidenced by an October 2008 CIO Magazine survey in which 40 percent of 234 IT chiefs surveyed said they are cutting spending, essentially freezing new IT initiatives, if not scrapping them altogether. However, despite the current economic climate, the need for reliable IT remains the same—especially when it comes to critical business applications such as Email, Collaboration or Customer Relationship Management. As organizations across all industries face tough decisions about where to allocate their limited resources, more IT chiefs are turning to their Managed IT Services Partner (MSP) for guidance with IT solutions. While the performance of computers per unit cost doubles every 24 months, the total cost of operating those computers has only recently realized similar cost efficiencies, as seen in the pay-as-you-go “Hosted” and “Cloud” offerings. In the past, companies could rely on some form of financing for technology purchases (hardware or software), either through a vendor-sponsored payment plan, a specialty leasing agent or a straight bank loan. Today’s credit markets challenge many organizations, particularly the smaller ones, to secure technology financing.
2: Embrace new technologies that fit the business, not the other way around Your MSP adds value with the latest technologies specifically tailored to your individual business requirements. As your requirements evolve, your MSP will suggest the best solution for your particular situation. While layoffs may be inevitable in a down economy, your customers expect the same level of attention, service and quality they have always received. Successful organizations recognize this and go above and beyond to preserve customer loyalty by showing them that it’s business as usual, even when it’s not.
3: Manage IT continuity Your MSP is committed to maximizing reliable IT uptime. MSPs know that if the IT infrastructure goes down, your productivity is down, potentially threatening revenue. They are driven to keep you satisfied, or risk losing your business.
4: Manage change quickly Organizations that depend on IT know that uncertain times demand flexible IT infrastructures. That means accommodating reductions as well as growth. While on-premise solutions can scale up as your company grows, it doesn’t work the other way around. Your MSP will orchestrate fully equipped, top-of-the-line systems that are continually sized, updated and maintained – saving your organization thousands of dollars in server hardware, software, upgrades, and the expertise to run it all.
5: Scale seamlessly When your organization grows, your infrastructure must also grow even faster. Your MSP enables access to extensive hardware and software resources required to scale smoothly and easily. Cloud hosting, in particular, is especially designed for scalability—since you use only the infrastructure resources you need.
6: Protect your critical business data Your MSP knows that you have entrusted them with your invaluable data—so they design their systems to protect that data. They have the resources to implement exhaustive backup and data recovery systems. Look for Data Protection Guarantees – ensuring, at minimum, that your email is completely protected and available in the event of a simple hardware failure or even a catastrophic data center outage. The damage to your business if multiple years-worth of critical business data is lost cannot be calculated.
7: Manage data security An organization can spend thousands of dollars to protect their data—or they can save thousands by turning to an MSP who will continuously align the best security solution with your evolving requirements, protecting your data from physical threats—such as theft, overheating, power outages, and fire—as well as technical threats from hackers or prying eyes.
8: Manage technology upgrades Your MSP continuously eliminates the worry about downloading and installing software upgrades or security patches. Your system will always be up-to-date.
9: Access the same data from everywhere Your MSP will offer a wide range of data access options. This flexibility enables your organization to be more productive, compared to those who are bound to designated computers or software.
10: Comply with Federal Regulations Your MSP will stay on top of the regulations so you don’t have to. MSPs will implement the proper storage, compliance, and retrieval features required for audits, legal requests, and other federal and state requirements.
Top Six Ways to Guard Your Business DataMarch 12th, 2010 by bizcareadminIn the age of pervasive information technologies Small and medium businesses (SMBs) increasingly fall prey to malicious attacks. Employees regularly chat over instant messengers with their prospects and customers. Email and web-applications offer nefarious ways to trigger wide-spread malware events within minutes of the first exposure. Attackers frequently bait content with links leading to scammer interactions, ultimately exposing to the wild sensitive proprietary company data. Every one of your employees – not just the “IT guy” – needs to be familiar with at least the basics of IT Security. And, if you don’t have a Security Policy, consider the top six ways to guard your IT Infrastructure from the most common security threats: The mobility of employees is constantly increasing in the modern world, and the rapid growth of the supply of mobile gadgets is rooted in the huge demand for such devices not only for personal use, but for working purposes. However, if your laptop or smart-phone falls into the wrong hands, unauthorized sensitive work e-mail inbox and proprietary data is at risk of exposure. Encrypting your data is one way to mitigate that risk. You can use an encryption program, such as TrueCrypt (available for free under open-source licensing), to protect your data from unauthorized access. Another way is to use a recovery service. If your equipment gets lost or stolen, and you can’t get it back, you’ll at least want to erase its data. Some IT Managed Services, as well as laptop manufacturers, offer data recovery services for selected laptop computers. Free Wi-Fi networks are available almost everywhere your employees go. Attackers, however, sometimes set up a malicious open Wi-Fi network to lure unsuspecting users into connecting. Once you have connected to a rogue wireless network, the attacker can capture your PC’s traffic and gather any sensitive information you send. Verifying the network’s name may help in this case. If you’re cautious, you’ve already secured your wireless network with a password to keep outsiders from accessing it or using your Internet connection. But password protection alone may not be sufficient. It’s highly advisable as well to use stronger encryption. Several types of Wi-Fi network encryption are available. WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) encryption is the most common variety employed on wireless networks, but it can be easily cracked. The newer encryption types such as WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) or its successor, WPA2 resolve the weaknesses of WEP and provide much stronger protection. It only takes one unprotected machine to infect or disable any small and medium business network. That means one un-patched workstation can create costly repercussions including:
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